17 month old heifer bagging up... and thin

[TwoByrdsMG]

Well I purchased a heifer in early October (12 months old then), where the owner said she had been penned up for a couple months to avoid bull exposure. I hadn't seen any signs of heat and decided to sync her with a big group. Hubby was putting CIDRs in while I was giving GnRH. I did not notice anything but I wasn't up close in the back. I mentioned she looked thin though so I wormed her again.

Well I pulled CIDRs this morning and when I did (before she got lute), I noticed she is definitely bagging up. Well sh!t.

Wish I would have preg tested when I first got her but I didn't. Best I can figure is that she was bred between 8-10 months old. I pulled blood to be absolutely certain (and will send it off tomorrow) but bag development and being thin indicates that I've got some trouble coming in the near future. I haven't had a teenage cattle pregnancy in 10 years- any tips on how to help set her up for success?

I plan to contact the vet when he gets back from vacation Monday and get him in the loop in case we have major problems. Her bloodline is not calving ease but the sire of the calf is.

She has had free choice hay all winter, protein tubs, salt licks, Conceptaide 5S loose mineral, and 2-4 lbs a day of alfalfa. No grain.

 

[Son of Butch]

Sounds like she's due in 2 months aka May, calves grow the most in 3rd trimester, so don't over feed her high energy feed now.
I hope to see pictures of healthy new cow and calf when she calves and good luck.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Arm her, dex her, and then wait. With in 36 hrs you'll know for sure. You may need to help her.

 

[Buck Randall]

Arm her, dex her, and then wait. With in 36 hrs you'll know for sure. You may need to help her.

If she's as far along as OP suspects, I wouldn't recommend inducing her. She'll be much more likely to have a calf without problems if you let her carry it to full term. The calf will be bigger, but she'll dilate much better than she would if brought in early.

 

[SBMF 2015]

If she's as far along as OP suspects, I wouldn't recommend inducing her. She'll be much more likely to have a calf without problems if you let her carry it to full term. The calf will be bigger, but she'll dilate much better than she would if brought in early.

But if she is bagging they may even end up with a live calf.
I guess I figured they would be pulling what ever she had so it might be better to know when it was coming.

 

[Ky hills]

Arm her, dex her, and then wait. With in 36 hrs you'll know for sure. You may need to help her.

I Lutalysed a calf not as far along as her and ended up loosing her. After that I will never try to abort one ever again, I'll take my chances with watching her close and trying to calve her out.
Over the years I've bought several 5 weight heifers that have ended being bred as well as a few of our own, and it can go either way, but have yet to loose a heifer calving out at full term. Have had to pull a few and lost a calf once, but fortunately it's worked out well more often than not and the heifers raise their calves and go on to make good cows.

 

[moses388]

She has had free choice hay all winter, protein tubs, salt licks, Conceptaide 5S loose mineral, and 2-4 lbs a day of alfalfa. No grain.

I might take away the protein tub.

 

[50/50Farms]

I agree with watching close and calving her out with aims of a live calf. You'd be surprised what they can do.

 

[wbvs58]

I think being skinny will be in her favour, better chance of a smaller calf.

Ken

 

[TwoByrdsMG]

I agree @Ky hills. I did already make the decision not to abort- it is too risky this late in the term.

She has more bag development than the heifers I have due May 6 and May 13 so I think I'll see a calf in 2-4 weeks. The lucky thing is I raised the dam, AI'd the cow myself, and sold the bull to the previous owner so I know BW, CE and MCE very well on both sides. There was a reason I was planning to wait until she was 17-18 months old before breeding her.

 

[Farm Family]

Calve her out…hope for the best, prepare for the worse, deal with the outcome…little late now to change things. Unfortunatelyhappens…Best wishes…and keep us posted.

 

[TwoByrdsMG]

Well a hard pull but no vet assistance needed. Our 850-900 lb, now 18 month old heifer ended up with a 83.5 lb bull calf.

A good bag, good mothering instincts and a big, vigorous bull calf. The only time I can get a picture is when he is laying down. Keeping her in the barn for 30-60 days so that she gets extra feed.

 

[farmerjan]

Hooray for the live calf... glad that you could pull it without too much trouble and everyone is looking okay. Sometimes things work out. Hope she can start to gain a bit of weight and go on and raise the calf up. That is big calf for a heifer... especially with her age and size. Congrats...

 

[bird dog]

Try not to let her get re-bred right away. Another calf in 15 months would be good for the young cow.